Have you ever had one of those days where something from the past that you distinctly remember but may have forgotten about comes back and punches you right in the face when you least expect it? I recently had one of those experiences when my wife and I were out as home buyers. There was this house with – what do you know – a red rug very similar to what my mother had in our living room when we were growing up. I used to hate that thing. I mean I would literally avoid it like the plague. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but you see one too many Rambo’s and you avoid something that looks like a target.
There we were, just entering the house that we liked so much when the realtor showed us into the family den or family room. The dark hard wood floors that flowed from the kitchen straight into the family room were beautiful. The furniture was a nice size and color – nothing too large and the thoughts seemed to rush back to me as soon as I saw it – the red rug. Thoughts of me and my sister wrestling like a couple of sumo wrestlers, trying to throw each other out of the ring. How we would play tag through out the house – when my parents weren’t around – and the red rug would be our safety zone. We would actually set the Christmas tree on top of the rug as well and the presents would literally cover the rug from one side to the next. After all the paper was gathered up and the tree was taken down, we would just move it back to the center of the room. I remember one year the Huffy was sitting with its kick-stand down on the edge of the rug – man what a feeling that brought back.
So as we were leaving the house – which we subsequently purchased – the emotions were getting my juices flowing. I turned to our realtor and asked one of the strangest questions I think I have ever asked – we will take the house but can we seriously ask the sellers for the red rug? I don’t know if we paid too much for the house or not but one thing is for certain. We got the house and the rug. My sister to this day thinks I am weird because of the memories that the rug brought back but I know it was a sign. She or my wife just doesn’t get it. No worries.